Fairy Tale Interrupted: A Memoir of Life, Love, and Loss is RoseMarie Terenzio’s memoir, which probably wouldn’t mean much except RoseMarie Terenzio was John F. Kennedy Jr.’s personal assistant at the time he crashed his plane carrying his wife and sister-in-law to a family wedding, killing all three.

I didn’t choose this book because of the Kennedy connection. In fact I had my fill of the Kennedy clan during Ted’s Chappaquiddick incident, his deceased mistress passenger having been from my home town. In fact, Mary Jo Kopechne is buried next to my aunt. But I digress. I picked up Fairy Tale Interrupted because I’m a big fan of “behind the scenes” type details. It can be entertainment, business, machinery, factory tours … any type of behind the scenes information is interesting to me regardless of the topic.

And this book didn’t disappoint. Terenzio told how George was launched. You may remember George was JFK’s magazine mixing the world of politics and pop culture in hopes of young people taking a more active role in political affairs. She also explained the actions of the paparazzi and the role they played in trying to derail the young marriage of JFK Jr. to Carolyn Bessette. If I learned anything at all, it was that I truly hope I’m never famous. Even though many (most?) famous people crave it, the pressure seems so much more than anyone can realistically bear. No wonder they sometimes act out.

Another interesting side story got me thinking … what happens when the president of a singularly-focused company dies? George the magazine was on its deathbed before JFK Jr. died, but the staff was unaware and in one split second they were out of work immediately. They received six months’ severance pay but I’m sure it was quite a blow.

Anyway, the book was interesting. I enjoyed learning about Terenzio and felt her pain when her friend and employer passed away.

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